The Batman, The Demon's Head, and the Wife
by TheBatmanForever
Summary: The Batman finally finds his greatest love interest, along with dangerous enemy.
1. Chapter 1

Batman wandered through an abandoned cave where Killer Croc was rumored to be hiding in, preparing for a big heist. The cave seemed empty and lifeless. He heard drops of water fall to the ground and gently echo against the cave walls.

This cave certainly didn't seem significant at all.

Suddenly Batman heard a small whimper and someone say, "Father…" He narrowed his eyes and walked deeper into the cave. The small whimper became a small cry of a woman. Batman widened his eyes, imagining the tragedy of a parent possibly dying. He ran further into the cave and saw a young woman bending over an old man. He was lying down and breathing laborly. The woman was crying lightly and kept whispering, "Father, father…" At last she looked up at Batman and he saw the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. When she looked him in the eye, Batman was struck by numerous feelings, he didn't know how to react.

The woman stood up and grabbed a gun from her pocket and pointed it at Batman. "Stay away from my father!" she shrieked in tears. She pulled the trigger but Batman dodged the bullet. She continued to shoot at him and he continued to dodge. Suddenly she ran up to him and attempted to punch him, but Batman grabbed her fist. She gasped and groaned in pain, then fell to the floor. She widened his eyes and looked back at the old man. "Father!" she yelled. "No, you can't do this! I can't leave him!" Batman narrowed his eyes, and let go of her fist. She ran to the man and fell back to her knees at his side. Batman looked at her as he bent down on his knee towards the old man. The woman lightly sobbed. "He's dying. And I can't carry him any further to the Pit."

"'The Pit?'" Batman repeated and stood back on his legs to face her.

"This is my father, Ra's al Ghul. His life has been expanded for six hundred years," the

woman said. "I'm afraid this is the end of his life."

Suddenly Ra's al Ghul breathed heavily with labor and surprised his daughter. "Talia," he said sharply. Talia smiled and held his hand.

"Yes, father- I'm here," she said. He coughed weakly.

"You know what you must do," he said slowly.

"But, father, I c-can't… I'm weak from holding you up the whole journey. And the Lazarus Pit is still many footsteps away," Talia answered.

"Then you will let me die, daughter?" Ra's said. Talia squeezed his hand, but didn't respond.

"Maybe I can be of assistance," Batman said. Talia looked up at Batman hopefully. He gently took Ra's head into his arm and his legs into his other arm. He walked further down the cave with Talia following closely behind. They soon arrived to a cliff. Beneath them was a green bubbling liquid. Batman raised an eyebrow.

"Here," Talia said. "Now, hurry, we can't wait a moment!"

"You're telling me to throw him in _there_?" Batman asked. Talia touched his shoulder.

"Please, you must believe me! _That_ has kept him alive for six hundred years," she said. Batman stood there for a moment, then dropped Ra's into the liquid. He watched the body get consumed by the glowing liquid. He continued to look down, waiting for something to happen.

"Nothing's happening," Batman growled. "Did you just make my murder a man?" Talia gasped.

"No, no!" she said and touched his shoulder again. "You must trust me; it just takes time." Batman narrowed his eyes and looked back at the liquid. A few moments passed. "I don't think I caught your name." Batman looked at her.

"It's quite self-explanatory," he said.

"Well you look like a man dressed as a bat," Talia said with a smile. Batman continued to stare at her. "Manbat?"

"No," Batman said. "That's actually one of the villains I faced."

"Batman?" He nodded. Talia smiled. "Well, I thank you greatly for saving my father's life, Batman." He nodded again. "Is there any way I could repay you? Are you interested in money or gold?"

"No need to repay me," Batman said. "My reward is your thanks." Talia smiled at him.

"You're quite modest," she said. Batman didn't respond. Suddenly a hand rose from the green liquid. Batman expected the same old man to come out, but instead there was a younger, handsome man. He wore no top and only green pants. He looked up at Talia and Batman, then leaped onto the ground where they stood. "Father!" Talia exclaimed happily. She ran to Ra's and hugged him. He growled and pushed her to the ground. "Father..?" Ra's frowned at her and placed one foot over her stomach. "Father, please! You're hurting me!" Talia yelled. He pressed his foot deeper into Talia's stomach as she grunted.

Batman ran to Ra's and tackled him down. They landed with Batman on top, his hands and feet locking Ra's down. They grunted as Ra's tried to escape and as Batman struggled to keep him down. Talia slowly got up. "Not exactly what Talia deserves after taking you all this way to save your life," Batman said who gasps. Ra's growled as an answer.

"Please, Batman. Don't hurt him," Talia said. She ran to them and bent down, then slapped Ra's' face. "Snap out of it, father!" Ra's' eyes closed, then opened. Batman loosened his grip, then stood up. Ra's followed, rubbing his head.

"Would you like to explain to me what just happened?" Batman demanded.

"The Lazarus Pit _has_ kept him alive for centuries, but there is a price," Talia said sadly. Ra's finally looked up at both of them.

"I apologize," he said with a sad smile. "But I'm most delighted to see your beautiful face again, daughter," Ra's said. He looked at Batman. "And who is this?"

"This is Batman," Talia said and walked to Batman and stood close to him. "He was the one who saved your life." Ra's smiled.

"Yes," he said. "I remember you. And I remember how strong you were to fight my daughter and myself."

"Thank you, sir," Batman said.

"He's wonderful, father," Talia said to Ra's. She looked up at Batman. "I offered gold or money, but he declined."

"That's not something you see very often," Ra's said, seeming surprised.

"He's extraordinary," Talia said with a bright smile. Ra's and Talia looked at each other for a long moment. It seemed unnecessary to stare at someone for so long. But a moment later, Ra's spoke.

"Noble Batman," he said. "You are brave and strong and you also seem very loving to have saved my life, not knowing who I was."

"I'm sure anyone would save a life if they had the opportunity," Batman said, keeping his voice with no emotion.

"But you, Batman, are different," Ra's said. "I sense something that you would risk everything you had to save a life." Batman narrowed his eyes. "You see, these Lazarus Pits won't be around forever, and neither will I."

"Father, don't talk like that," Talia said, not moving a step away from Batman.

"And I will need someone to take my place as leader," Ra's continued. "And I can also sense a wise mind behind that mask." Batman didn't move one muscle. He continued to stare at Ra's, wondering what he was saying. "Batman, you have proven yourself worthy, and luckily my daughter as found a love interest in you." Batman widened his eyes and looked down at Talia. She smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around his right arm.

"I'm sorry, Ra's, but I can't possibly marry a woman I've known for the last few _minutes_. And I can't possibly take your place as leader," Batman said. "It just won't happen." Batman felt Talia's grip loosen on his arm. Ra's narrowed his eyes and inhaled.

"Then if you are not with me, _you are against me_!" he yelled, then ran to Batman and punched his stomach. Batman grunted and was thrown across the cave. He groaned as he struggled to stand up. Ra's ran to Batman and lifted him off the floor, grabbing him by the collar of his suit. Batman grunted and struggled to get out.

"Father!" Talia yelled suddenly. "Please don't harm him!"

"He rejected you _and_ the throne!" Ra's said to Talia.

"That doesn't mean I am to reject him," she replied. Ra's turned his head to look back at his daughter. Suddenly Batman kneed Ra's' stomach. Ra's groaned and fell to the floor as Batman ran further away from Ra's.

Ra's growled and ran after Batman. He tackled Batman and stood on top of him. Ra's attempted to step on Batman's face, but Batman grabbed Ra's foot, struggling to keep it away. "Worthy indeed!" Ra's yelled, as if continuing something he said before. "You'd make a wonderful heir if you weren't so _idiotic_!"

"He is not idiotic!" Talia yelled. She ran up to Ra's and pushed him off Batman. Ra's fell to the floor but rose quickly. Batman stood up and ran to Ra's. He punched Ra's' stomach, then his face. He fell to the floor, groaning. Batman ran to Talia and grabbed her wrist, then ran out of the cave. "Where are you taking me?" Talia demanded. Batman ran to the side of the cave and the batmobile drove up to them. The hood of the car opened and they jumped in.

"Far away," he answered and turned the engine on.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why are you taking me with you?" Talia demanded. They were driving across the canyon and miles away from Ra's already.

"He's harmful," Batman replied without looking at her.

"He's _my father_!" she said. A long moment passed. "Where are we going?"

"Gotham City," Batman said.

"Is that your hometown?" Talia asked, who seemed to have calmed down. Batman nodded. "Are you known there?" Batman nodded again. Another silence.

"Tell me about you and Ra's," Batman said.

"My father is a good man, really. His ultimate goal is a world in perfect environmental balance," Talia explained.

"And to do that would mean wiping out most of humanity?" Batman asked.

"My father means well, I swear," she said and touched Batman's arm. "I must admit his ways to reach his goal can sometimes be frightening for me. I sometimes wonder if he still has a soul. But I trust my father and I'm loyal to him and his decisions."

"So are you spying on me then?" Batman asked. Talia gasped.

"Oh, no, beloved. I'm not spying on you for my father. I love you," she said. Batman felt a tingle in his chest when she said the last part. "And I wouldn't want my father to harm you, so that is one reason why I am with you at the moment."

"I can take care of myself," Batman said.

"You're not always like that, correct?" Talia asked.

"Like what?"

"You have another life to live. A life as your natural self. You don't dress as a bat," Talia explained. "You have a split personality." Batman stayed silent. There were a few minutes of silence after that. It passed slowly to Batman, and he felt sweat drip down him knowing Talia was sitting next to him. But thankfully, they arrived to Gotham.

Batman leaped out of the batmobile and ran to Talia's side. He held his hand out to help her out, but she jumped out by herself. Talia looked around at the smoggy air and red sky. She wrinkled her nose. "This is where you live? You protect this city?"

"Yes. This is my home," Batman replied. Talia frowned.

"So then where do you live?" she asked.

"I can't take you there," Batman said to her. Talia widened her eyes at Batman. She walked closer to him and held his hands.

"But why not, beloved?" she asked. "I love you dearly and will always keep a secret at all costs." Batman hesitated. He would _of course_ take Talia to the Bat Cave. But would Alfred approve?

 _To bad, Alfred,_ Batman thought to himself. _You recently told me to get a girlfriend, so here we go._ He nodded at Talia and she smiled, then hugged him. Batman didn't know how to react, but he lightly smiled and hugged her back. Talia let go a long moment later.

"Then let's go, dearest," she said with a bright smile. She got back in the batmobile and Batman followed her. He drove down the streets and turned into an alley that was a dead end. "Beloved? What are you doing?" Talia asked in a panicked voice.

"Trust me," Batman said calmly.

"Of course I trust you but this just seems crazy!" Talia said. Suddenly the bricks split apart and a tunnel appeared. Talia let out the breath she was holding as they drove into the Bat Cave. The batmobile came to a stop and Talia and Batman jumped out. "Amazing!" she said. Batman stood next to her. "You built all this?" She turned in a circle to looked at the amazing structure that was around her, and all the incredible vehicles and machines.

"Yes," Batman replied. Talia turned back to him and touched his shoulders with both of her hands.

"And I just began to realize how muscular you are," she said looked down at his chest. She lifted her head back to look at Batman's face. "You don't even seem like a man."

"It's surprising how much determination and hard work can take you," Batman said quietly as he began to fall in love with her. Talia smiled but it quickly dropped. She slowly closed her eyes and she moved closer to Batman's face, and he did the same. She touched the side of his face as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Then in a moment Batman felt warm lips push against his and realized he was kissing almost a perfect stranger.

He squeezed his arms tighter around her waist and Talia leaned up against him dramatically. Her fingers moved closer to his nose and she touched the edges of his mask.

 _She wouldn't. She knows that I has hesitant to bring her to the cave. She knows there is a purpose_ why _I wear a mask._ But suddenly his mask began to lift. _You should have thought twice, Bruce,_ Batman told himself as Talia removed his mask, still in a kiss. She slowly broke from the kiss and opened her eyes to see Batman's face.

"You're most handsome, darling," Talia mused. "I would say 'I love you even more', but my feelings seem impossible to get stronger."

"But we've barely even met," Bruce said.

"But this is how love begins, right?" Talia asked as she neared his lips again.

"I suppose," Bruce said but was cut off as Talia kissed him again and the moans afterwards.


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce knew it was wrong. First, kissing a woman he had just met! And second, her father, Ra's al Ghul seemed like a villain. That meant that _she_ was probably working to follow in his footsteps.

But he never wanted to let go. He never wanted to leave her. They may have just met, but Bruce felt a connection with her the second they met. Maybe she was a villain, but that couldn't get in the way of the _one true love in_ Bruce Wayne's life.

Bruce and Talia felt the same each other; he was sure. He would protect her at all costs, even from her own father. He would have to either talk it out with Ra's, or kill him. Talia wouldn't approve, but surely she would understand.

The two seemed to have been kissing for hours, though it was probably less than a minute. Bruce enjoyed every ounce of it. He was in love at last!

Suddenly there was an explosion beside them. Talia screamed and they were flung across the cave. When they landed, Bruce ran to Talia and helped her up. He looked at the explosion and realized it _wasn't_ an explosion; Ra's al Ghul had found them!

"Batman! I demand my daughter back," Ra's roared, pointing in their direction.

"Father!" Talia said and ran in front of Bruce. "Please, I beg you to not harm Batman."

"If he does not return you back to me, I will be forced to," Ra's replied angrily. Talia turned to look at Bruce, her eyes wide. She hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back.

"I do not wish for him to hurt you, beloved," Talia said with sorrowful eyes.

"It's alright. You can stay with me; I'll protect us," Bruce said and held her hands with a warm smile.

"No, I can't risk any chance of you getting hurt," Talia said solemnly.

"I'm tougher than you think," he said. Talia shook her head in doubt.

"We'll see each other again, beloved," she said with a sad smile. Talia slowly let go of his hands and walked closer towards Ra's. Bruce held onto her hands until her fingertips, then let go. His eyes were filled with sadness.

Then something struck him;

His whole life, there had _never_ been the _perfect_ woman. He went on many dates a week, but Talia was perfect. She had first fallen in love with Batman; most women Bruce talked to thought Batman seemed very scary and dangerous. And also, Talia didn't act any differently when she saw his face. She was the one. He couldn't let her go so easily.

At least, not without a fight.

"No," Batman said suddenly while Ra's and Talia were walking away. They both looked back; Ra's looking angry and Talia looking hopeful.

"What did you say?" Ra's demanded.

"I said no," Batman growled. He put his mask back on. "I have _never_ fallen in love with a woman; Talia is the first, and the only. You won't take her. Not now, and not ever."

"I am her father!" Ra's shouted. "I have every right to take my daughter away from you."

"And I have every right to break _every bone in your body_ if you don't give Talia back to me," Batman bellowed. Ra's frowned and pushed Talia deeper into the tunnel.

"Stay there, and don't try to escape. If you try, suffer the consequences," Ra's said to Talia. She nodded, but once Ra's turned to look at Batman, she glanced at Batman with a smirk. Batman widened his eyes, surprised that Talia would betray her father.

Ra's looked at Batman with fury burning in his eyes. He took his shirt off, revealing his muscular chest and preparing for the battle."You declined the most amazing offer!" he yelled to Batman. They slowly walked in an invisible circle, waiting for one to attack the other.

"I'm not interested in power," Batman said, narrowing his eyes.

"But you are interested in my daughter," Ra's said. Batman felt something in his chest, but ignored it. "And that is the one thing you cannot have!" Ra's charged towards Batman and Batman charged towards Ra's.

Ra's swung a punch and Batman dodged by sliding down onto the floor. He somersaulted back up to his feet and grabbed his batgrapple. He launched it at Ra's and he was thrown across the cave, crushing part of the Bat Cave wall. Rocks crumbled down Ra's' chest as he struggled to get to his feet. Batman narrowed his eyes at Ra's.

But then he heard doors opening and saw Alfred standing in the elevator of the Bat Cave. "Alfred!" Batman yelled. "Get out of here!" But before Alfred could go anywhere, Ra's ran to the butler and held him off the ground.

"So is this human important to you?" Ra's asked teasingly. Batman growled, slowly walking closer to them. "Don't take one more step, or I will kill this human!" Batman hesitated, but stood still, his fists clenched. Ra's smiled evilly and pushed Alfred in Talia's direction. She grabbed Alfred and acted like she was with her father, but whispered something reassuring to Alfred.

Ra's walked towards Batman and ripped off his utility belt. He smiled at it. "Now cheating, alright?" he said and snapped the belt in half. Batman cringed, dreading the thought of how much work he put into it.

 _There's no time to sentimental,_ Batman thought to himself. _Right now I need to figure out a way get escape from Ra's, without my utility belt._ But most of the plans he thought of needed his batgrapple or smoke pellets.

"Remove any other weapons I have not removed from you," Ra's demanded. "If not, I swear I will take your life." Batman looked up at Ra's.

"The only weapon left in me is my courage and strength," he growled. Ra's scoffed and ripped Batman's shirt in half, leaving him with only pants and a cowl. (And boots and gloves.) Ra's inspected Batman's shirt, the looked at him. They stared at each other for a long moment, and suddenly Ra's grabbed a gun from his belt and pointed it at Batman.

"It's unfortunate to see such a promising son-in-law die," Ra's said. "But you chose to be against me, and this is what you deserve."

"No!" Talia shrieked. She ran to Ra's and kicked him to the ground. Ra's grunted and stood up. He looked at Talia with anger.

"Betrayed? By my own daughter?" he bellowed. Talia kept her angry expression, but it slowly became a fearful expression. She slowly walked backwards as Ra's towered over her. "I would never take your life, but I promise you will never have freedom ever again."

"That's why I chose to stay with Batman," Talia said in a shaky voice. Suddenly there was the sound of an engine turning on. Ra's looked and saw the batjet lifting off the ground. Talia gasped. "Beloved! Are you going to leave me?" she yelled. There were few windows that were tinted so you couldn't see anyone inside. The batjet began to circle towards the exit of the cave, flying by Ra's and Talia. Just as it flew beside them, Batman hung from the door and reached out and grabbed Talia. He grunted, trying to lift his own body and Talia's with just his thighs. But he pulled her up and they stood back on the ground.

Batman was breathless, but Talia was looking at Batman with a smile. He looked at her and smiled. "You knew I wouldn't leave you," he said with heavy breaths.

"I knew you wouldn't beloved," she said and touched his bare chest. Then she looked around. "Where is Alfred?"

"Ra's is probably going to find us, so I hid him in the Bat Cave where he'd be safe," Batman said. "And how did Ra's find us before?" Talia hesitated.

"My father probably placed a tracer on my clothing," she said. Batman continued to stare at her. She held his hands. "Beloved, I swear! I would never put you in harm's way." A moment passed, and Batman finally said,

"And I wouldn't either." Talia smiled and hugged him, then let go. Batman walked back to the pilot seat and turned auto-pilot off.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Batman replied. He turned back to look at her. "But as long as we're together, it doesn't matter." Talia smiled and gently grabbed his chin. She lifted it so his lips were at the same level as hers. She kissed him passionately and he kissed her back. Talia pushed deeper and moaned with delight. Batman broke from the kiss and kissed Talia again quickly, then gave full attention to the batjet. The next few minutes were silent, but suddenly the batjet trembled violently and a red light flashed inside. Batman grunted and pressed a button. On the screen in front of him appeared the batjet with the right side glowing red.

"The right engine is destroyed," he said, trying to stay calm. Talia held onto Batman's seat as the batjet began to crash down. When Batman looked at where they were going to crash-land, it was a desert with soft sand. He grunted to keep the controls in his control, but the batjet continued to fall down. He grabbed Talia and held her tightly. There wasn't enough time to put on parachutes, and the height wasn't safe enough. Talia tightly held Batman back, shivering with fear. "It's alright. We'll be safe," Batman said, not even trusting his own words.

Then it happened. The batjet crashed into the ground. Batman and Talia were thrown in all directions in the batjet. They crashed into the pilot seat and the controls. They crashed against the floor and hit each other, but in a few moments, it was over. Batman's left shoulder was injured then a sharp corner of the controls hit him. But thankfully, Talia seemed okay. She only looked scared.

Batman groaned in pain, but walked to where to door used to be. He opened it and fell

out of the batjet with Talia behind. She helped him get to his feet. "Are you alright?" Batman asked her weakly.

"Don't ask me, darling! Your shoulder is bleeding!" she said. He groaned and stood up straight.

"What hit us?" he asked her.

"It was most likely my father," Talia replied. "And he's probably not far behind." She looked back to see if Ra's was walking towards them when suddenly she felt Batman grab her shoulders to face him. Talia squeaked in surprise but then let out her breath as she felt Batman's lips mush against hers. Her shoulders were tensed but they relaxed and she slowly moved her arms down Batman's back. Batman moved his arms from her shoulders and touched her bra from the back, slowly moving towards her chest. They stood kissing the whole time.

Batman moved his hands down to the bottom of her shirt and snuck his hands under it and touched her stomach. He moved up to her chest and traced the edges of her bra as Talia slowly moved her hands to his waist. Batman felt something crunch against his side. Talia broke from the kiss and held something up. "A tracer I planted on you when we first met," she said and crushed it. "I apologize, beloved. And my father is probably just behind us. You must run away."

Batman watched the tracer's crumbled pieces fall into the sand. He looked back at Talia's beautiful eyes. He moved his hands out of her shirt and held her hands. "I can't leave you with him," he said. "Ra's will never let us be together."

"Your love for me is the one thing he approves of," Talia said with a small smile. "We'll see each other again, beloved, I promise." They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment and Batman kissed her again. He squeezed her hands and she squeezed his back. They both pushed deeper into the kiss and felt each other's chests press against each other's. In a few long moments, Talia broke from the kiss again and took a small step back from Batman. She took her shirt off and handed it to him. "Something to remember me by," she said sadly.

"I'm going to remember you for many more things," Batman said gently, in almost a whisper. He closed his eyes and kissed her again and gently touched her chest. Talia moved her hands to Batman's chest and moved them up and down, feeling his muscles. She slowly pulled away from the kiss, gently biting Batman's lower lip while. They looked at each other for a long moment again and pressed their foreheads together. "Don't leave me," Batman whispered.

"But I must be leaving this bare and lonely desert," Talia said.

"And that's how my heart will feel without you," Batman said. Talia gently touched his cheeks.

"But I will never leave your heart," she said with a small smile. Batman smiled back and touched her hands that were on his cheeks.

"Quite a performance," Ra's said from behind the batjet. Batman and Talia jumped in surprise. "Now Talia, come with me." Talia looked up at Batman's eyes again. They shivered with sadness. But she kissed his lips once more quickly, and walked to her father. Batman inhaled deeply. "Now, Talia, you are not yet finished, are you dear?" Ra's said. Talia sighed.

"No, father," she said. Batman heard a gun cocking. He looked up and saw Talia pointing a gun at him with tears in her eyes. He widened his eyes, wondering if Talia would actually kill him.

Was her loyalty to Ra's stronger than her loyalty to him?

But suddenly Talia put the gun down. "Father I would never kill him," she said to Ra's.

"I don't think I would either," Ra's said. Talia looked surprised. "He seems the only enemy

worthy of me." A silence. "Now, Batman. Tell me," he began. "If you love Talia so dearly, why wouldn't you become an heir?"

Batman slowly rose his head to look at Ra's, with anger burning in his eyes. "I would never be a part of something I've dedicated my life to destroy."

"And what's that, _detective_?" Ra's said. Batman paused dramatically.

"Evil." Ra's narrowed his eyes at Batman and grabbed Talia's wrist. He walked behind the batjet and disappeared leaving Batman standing in the desert, alone.


	4. Chapter 4

_YEARS LATER…_

"Father?" Talia called. She walked into his golden room.

"Yes, Talia?" Ra's replied. Talia gently touche her stomach.

"Father, Batman and I are having a child," she said excitedly. Ra's sat straight in his chair and narrowed his eyes at Talia.

"I thought you didn't love him because of all those times you held him at gunpoint, or because of how he did not wish to marry you," Ra's said.

"I must respect his wishes," Talia said, raising her voice angrily. She calmed down. "And you must respect mine, for I have decided not to tell Damian of his father's existence."

"Damian?"

"My son's name. And Batman does not know of Damian," Talia said. "But they will be

Introduced, later when we know Damian can be of assistance to Batman."

"Or once we know Damian can be a burden to Batman," Ra's said with an evil chuckle.


End file.
